1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to articulable plastic extrusions for gripping and securing posters or signs to be utilized in commercial and retail display arrangements.
2. Prior Art
Advertising and marketing are critical to the modem retailer. Such practice requires the display of signs and posters that are typically suspended from ceilings, held by brackets by a standing support, or attached to a shelf or comer edge. These signs and posters must be maintained straight and xe2x80x9creadablexe2x80x9d from a snug-holding support apparatus. These supports must be easy to use, inexpensive to manufacture, and not distract from the poster or sign being displayed.
Sign-holding devices are certainly well-known in the art. Many of these devices however are extremely limited in their capabilities and or use. U.S. Pat. No. 3,324,585 to Frederickson shows a biasable clip, which actually lances the poster that it supports. A biasable panel is disposed in front of the poster, but the poster may be damaged by the mere attempt to pull the biasable panel away from the poster. U.S. Pat. No. 3,354,564 to Falcone shows a further clip which is actually a marking device that carries a plate on its front side. This very thin clip is utilized to fit over the edge of a cup or a bottle, having a disk which acts as a marker on the distal end of one of its legs. An irregular clip is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,286 to Kapstad, which clip has a pair of angled tongues arranged to bias against a connecting member to permit the device to be engaged onto a wall of a basket or the like. A card holding clip, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,341,028 to Brown, has one side which is adaptable to be disposed about a vertical rod. A self-attachable clip, shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,566,183 to Greenberger, has a forward lip which defines in cross-section, a generally J-shape to that clip. The clip has a rear portion which engages a particular channel groove as may be found of the edge of a shelf. U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,862 to Salbsky, senior., shows a clip for mounting price cards upon container edges. This clip has a pair of legs, each of which are arranged in a curvilinear fashion. The clip is arranged to fit on the top of a bowl.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,402 to Hoffinan et al, and commonly owned with the present application, shows a poster-gripping extrusion. The extrusion in this ""402 patent is more complicated than necessary, may well not fit in desired locations and the manufacture of it utilizes extra material when such may not be needed. German Patent DE 40 36 882 C1 also discloses an articulable poster gripper which however fails to provide the accessibility, compactness and efficient features of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient and simple poster or sign-holding clip extrusion which is an improvement over the prior art.
It is yet a still further object of the present invention, to provide a poster-gripping extrusion which itself, through its simplicity, permits it to be gripped by a channel support, where deemed necessary, or be attached in a corner placement in an unobtrusive manner.
The present invention comprises a simplified and improved, elongated, articulable clip of plastic as a poster gripping extrusion for permitting the proper holding of flexible sheets as posters or signs in diverse locations. Such an elongated extruded clip of plastic may be run in lengths of about 50 centimeters to about 250 centimeters or more in length.
The improved elongated extruded clip has a planar base, of width, xe2x80x9cwxe2x80x9d. The extruded clip also has a leg of elongated planar configuration, arranged parallel to the planar base, and attached unitarily thereto only by a transversely disposed bridging portion extruded therebetween to provide compactness and attachability in tight areas with minimum structure.
The leg has a distalmost edge which extends longitudinally parallel to the bridging portion, and extending widthwise to a location about the midpoint of the width of the planar base. The distal edge of the leg includes a living hinge which runs therealong. The living hinge connects the first leg to an articulable clamp.
The articulable clamp, attached to the leg by the co-extruded living hinge therebetween, is movable with respect to the planar base, in an arc pivoted about the living hinge. The articulable clamp has a proximal portion of generally linear or planar configuration which mates with the living hinge thereadjacent. The proximal portion of the articulable clamp has a flange member extending generally perpendicular thereto. The flange member is co-extruded with the articulable clamp and is unitary therewith. The flange member has a distalmost end, which provides a line of contact between the flange and the planar base when the articulable clamp is in its xe2x80x9cengagedxe2x80x9d or touching relationship with the planar base.
The articulable clamp has a curvilinear portion extending from the proximal portion thereof. The curvilinear portion is of arcuate configuration, having a distalmost edge which extends beyond the distalmost edge of the planar base, by at least approximately 0.1 centimeter. The arcuate or curvilinear portion of the articulable clamp has a radius of curviture xe2x80x9cRxe2x80x9d, the distalmost edge of which is spaced a perpendicular distance above the plane of the planar base by about approximately 0.1 centimeter. The arcuate portion of the articulable clamp includes an arc segment component which engages the planar base, when in the clamp is in contact therewith. Thus, a line or contact and a wider line of contact such as an arc segment of the articulated clamp, provide two parallel lines of pressure against a sign or poster placed between the flange and the articulable clamp in the planar base when the articulable clamp is in engaging juxtaposition against that planar base.
The distal extension of the articulable clamp beyond the distalmost edge of the planar base, along with the raised distal edge of that articulable clamp above the surface of the planar base permits ready manual engagement of that articulable clamp to permit a pivoting thereof about its living hinge to permit entry of or removal of a poster or sign from the planar base.
The single web comprising the bridge portion between the planar base and the first leg thus identifies a generally U-shaped configuration, which would permit a generally U-shaped channel to slip thereover for support of the extrusion and poster thereattached from a ceiling or the like. That U-shaped arrangement between the planar base and the leg thus minimizes material, permits enclosed support by a further channel, and effects an uncomplicated, compact appearance of an extruded gripping member in a manner not found or shown in the art. The bridging portion also permits the gripping device to snugly and inconspicuously mate within a comer without distracting from the poster or sign being displayed.
The invention thus comprises a poster gripping extrusion for the close-in maintenance and rigid support of a flexible sheet of display material, comprising: an elongated planar base having a first or distal edge and a proximal or second edge defining a width of the base; a leg extending parallel to the base, the leg having a distal edge and a proximal edge, and a single web or bridging portion extending between the second edge and the proximal edge of the leg; a pivotable clamp extending from the distal edge of the leg, the clamp providing a first and a second line of contact between the clamp and the base to securely hold a sheet of material therebetween wherein the clamp has a distalmost edge which extends beyond the distalmost edge of the base portion of the device, to permit ease of manipulation of the device in xe2x80x9cclose-inxe2x80x9d locations. The pivotable clamp may have a curvilinear portion and a linear portion. The pivotable clamp has a flange extending perpendicular from the linear portion to provide the second line of contact with respect to the base. The edge of the pivotable clamp extends about .1 cm. beyond the distal edge of the base. The distal edge of the pivotable clamp extends about 0.1 cm. above the distal edge of the base. The pivotable clamp is attached to the leg by a living hinge extruded therebetween. The planar base has an adhesive thereon to permit the device to be adhered xe2x80x9cclose-inxe2x80x9d to a corner position.